Put a stop to the red-light madness

Assemblyman John Wisniewski has a history of less than inspiring legislative proposals, especially on transportation. He was the author of the infamous "ham sandwich" bill, for instance, that would have made even the most innocuous activity while behind the wheel of a car potentially subject to some form of distracted-driving fine.

So it was both surprising and welcome when Wisniewski started carrying the fight toward reforming the state's use of red-light cameras with a proposed bill recommending changes. Unfortunately, it looks like Wisniewski has folded, bowing to interested parties enjoying the revenue being generated by the cameras.

A quick recap: The red-light cameras capture images of the license plates on vehicles running reds, prompting tickets to be issued to the owners of those vehicles. New Jersey established a pilot program designed to bring the technology to dangerous intersections with the stated intent of improving safety, despite the mixed safety results from other states, a plan shepherded by Wisniewski himself. It quickly became clear, however, that the primary motivation is the money from fines, since the cameras can catch far more violators than the occasional police patrol.

Motorists perceived unfairness, not only because of the volume of tickets but an absence of meaningful discretion. Many of the tickets, for instance, have been the result of turning right on a red light after a rolling stop, even on empty roadways. That sense of injustice was cemented by discovery of improperly calibrated yellow lights that did not give drivers the proper amount of time to stop before turning red. That led to a moratorium on the use of the cameras - since expired - and class-action lawsuits, one of which resulted in a nearly worthless settlement that refunded thousands of drivers $6 a pop on fines ranging between $85 and $140.

Wisniewski's bill would eliminate the penalties for the rolling right turns on red lights, while also pursuing changes in the timing of yellow lights. But when the bill this week went before the Transportation Committee that Wisniewski chairs, he tabled it after hearing testimony that supposedly raised concerns. That testimony, however, wasn't exactly revelatory; it included information that some accidents occurring at the camera-equipped intersections are unrelated to the presence of the cameras, and the news that police do not issue a ticket for every photo snapped of a violator.

Those little tidbits are already apparent to anyone who has paid even modest attention to the red-light cameras. Yet they were somehow largely unknown to the lawmaker who heads the transportation committee and pushed for the cameras to come to New Jersey in the first place?

It would be disturbing enough to think Wisniewski was that clueless about the issues at hand, but we doubt that's the case. It's more likely that Wisniewski - not coincidentally also the head of the state Democratic Party - cited those concerns as little more than weak excuses to derail reforms. Fact is, municipal officials - many of them loyal Democrats - love the red-light cameras for the revenue they produce. They don't want to lose that cash cow, and other local leaders want to grab their own slice at that pie in the future. Wisniewski must have been listening to them. Unfortunately, it's the innocent drivers out there who need some legislative protection on this.

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Put a stop to the red-light madness

Assemblyman John Wisniewski has a history of less than inspiring legislative proposals, especially on transportation. He was the author of the infamous '

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